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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24206977">Celestial Stories - The Lunar Chronicles Oneshots</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/switchcartridgedessert/pseuds/switchcartridgedessert'>switchcartridgedessert</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 15:42:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,494</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24206977</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/switchcartridgedessert/pseuds/switchcartridgedessert</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Even in the future, the story begins with once upon a time..."</p><p> ♥ Oneshots for The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer!</p><p>Crossposted from Wattpad, under the same name and author.<br/>I do not own The Lunar Chronicles.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Crescent Moon "Cress" Darnel/Carswell Thorne, Jacin Clay/Winter Hayle-Blackburn, Kai/Linh Cinder, Scarlet Benoit/Wolf | Ze'ev Kesley</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Sudden Science Experiment</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Submission from CosmicNovaFlare on Wattpad, Tumblr, and Instagram.</b>
</p>
<p>"But will it stick?" Thorne asked, looking around the room. "I read a book about it once in school."</p>
<p>"Thorne, none of us are going to lick a metal pole. It's a myth. That is the most stupid idea that's ever come out of your mouth, and that's saying something," Cinder replied.</p>
<p>The entire Rampion Crew was in Canada for Winter and Jacin's wedding, and they were simply catching up aboard the Rampion when somehow the topic of licking a metal pole to see if it would stick had come up. Jacin had proposed to Winter at Cinder and Kai's wedding, to continue the tradition. Of course, Thorne had been an idiot when everyone had arrived and now he wanted to have someone lick a metal pole. <i>For science,</i> he had said.</p>
<p>"I need to know! Cress, would you try it?"</p>
<p>Cress shot him a glare. "No! I love you, but I'm not doing that! I saw a net drama once and they had to pour steaming water to get the kid's tongue off!"</p>
<p>"Then I'll do it!" He yelled, running to the door of the Rampion. He passed the door and had to turn back to find it.</p>
<p>Collectively, the crew started yelling after him about putting on a coat, that's its better for him to test it anyway, and "stars above, what are you thinking?"</p>
<p>By the time they all had on boots and coats and were out in the freezing cold, Thorne had already found a metal pole. They had made it out just in time to see him lick it, and sure enough...</p>
<p>"Serves him right," Scarlet said, as soon as they realized that Thorne could not move. "His idea to bring it up."</p>
<p>"This is actually the most stupid thing you've ever done in your life, minus the soap rebellion," Cinder retorted, looking right at Thorne.</p>
<p><i>I am going to die,</i> Thorne thought. <i>This is the least heroic way to go. I am Captain Carswell Thorne, who helped overthrow an evil queen and reinstate the rightful heir. Oh no! I haven't made a will yet! Cress needs to get the Rampion and I'll obviously be buried with my leather jacket-</i></p>
<p>Thorne's train of thought was abruptly cut off by the sound of cameras flashing. A variety of oh no's could be heard from the crew, as paparazzi snapped as many shots as they could get in before everyone ran back into the house. The only one who didn't was Iko, who promptly posed for the camera. She had practiced more times than she cared to admit.</p>
<p>About three seconds later, everyone came running out of the house with Cress holding a bucket of hot water.</p>
<p>"BRACE YOURSELF," she yelled, and poured the water over Thorne.</p>
<p>Thorne had no idea what was happening and shrieked once his tongue was no longer stuck to a metal pole, to which everyone promptly laughed.</p>
<p>"My tug is fwozen," he muttered, unable to properly speak.</p>
<p>The crew hauled him back inside and decided that science experiments just weren't for them, except Jacin, anyways.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Second Era Video Games Can Easily Lead to Idiocy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Suggested by CosmicNovaFlare on Wattpad, Tumblr, and Instagram.</strong>
</p><p>Cress had made a mistake. She would never forgive herself for this one. She had thought that learning about the second era and sharing her findings with the crew would be a fun learning experience, but she hadn't expected this.</p><p>Second era entertainment was very similar to what it was in the modern-day, but it was usually accompanied by "memes," especially when it came to a certain game called "Fortnite." <em>I should </em><em>have</em><em> known better, </em>thought Cress, <em>than to show this game to Thorne.</em></p><p>Cress wasn't a huge fan of any sort of PVP game (she had her fair share of gaming aboard the satellite) but thought Thorne may enjoy it. He typically was a fan of pop culture, and the world of the third era was quite like the second in many ways. He also liked idiotic dances, which he proved at Scarlet and Wolf's wedding a few weeks prior, and would no doubt be displaying in the future. What Cress didn't know was how far Thorne would take his newfound obsession.</p><p>It was quite far.</p><p>Cress had caught Thorne in the largest room of the Rampion on the net, where he was pulling up videos of the in-game dances to try to replicate them. It was both hilarious and painful for Cress to watch.</p><p>She'd recorded the first few instances, and the music for each emote was usually drowned out my Cress's hysterical laughter. However, the longer this went on, the more impatient she became. Thorne had gone from obsessed to full-on addiction, and Cress wasn't having any of it.</p><p>After having dealt with Thorne for over two years now, she wasn't nearly as shy and flustered around him as she was when they first met. In fact, she had learned to correct him on a few things (to the degree she felt she could without coming off as offensive.) In this particular circumstance, she felt like the best way to get a reaction from Thorne was embarrassment. Over the years, Cress had commed the crew many times to figure out how to do everything from killing spiders to how to get the cheapest tickets to wherever she and Thorne wanted to visit. One of the most common topics of conversation was Thorne, and Cress had long learned from Cinder, Scarlet, and Jacin that embarrassment was not only effective but also quite funny.</p><p>Pulling out her portscreen, Cress checked the time. It was about noon where she and Thorne were currently staying in the midst of space, so it wouldn't be a horrible time difference for the rest of the crew. Scarlet and Wolf might not be too happy with the time problem, but once they found out what Cress had in mind their mood would likely change.</p><p>Cress ducked into the bathroom farthest from the room Thorne was in, and started a group comm. Over the course of two minutes, the entire crew was there, minus Thorne.</p><p>"This better have been important," Scarlet droned, groggily plopping down on her sofa next to Wolf.</p><p>"I'm sure Cress-friend would call for good reason, Scarlet-friend!" Winter chimed in. Cress fell into a bit of a panic, unsure of whether or not you'd call Thorne doing Fortnite dances an emergency.</p><p>"I..., uh...," she stammered. "It's not exactly urgent, but I thought you guys should know about this by now." The crew exchanged glances, concerned.</p><p>"I, uh... just... here." Cress silently crept into the room where Thorne was currently attempting to dance. The crew went quiet.</p><p>"If you're not at least feeling mild terror, then you have <em>greatly</em> misjudged the situation," Kai said, with slow, careful enunciation.</p><p>"I'm feeling terror, alright," Scarlet replied. "You were right to call, Cress, someone needs to save you from this horror."</p><p>Cinder leaned back in her chair and rested her head on her left hand, her engagement ring sparkled in the room's light. "Unplug his netscreen."</p><p>"I thought about it, but I thought that maybe if he saw you guys watching him, he'd get embarrassed," Cress whispered. It wasn't exactly a solid plan, but knowing Thorne, it just might work. "Alright everyone, stay quiet until I say to talk."</p><p>Cress coughed loudly. Thorne swiveled around, eyes wide with panic. She turned the portscreen to face him, wordlessly. Everyone looked on the verge of laughter, but restrained themselves.</p><p>"What did we learn?" Asked Scarlet.</p><p>"Why are they here?" Thorne questioned, dumbly pointing to the portscreen.</p><p>"You aren't feeling...embarrassed?" Cress wondered aloud.</p><p>A laugh escaped Thorne's lips. "Oh no, they all know I do dumb stuff all the time."</p><p>"He's not wrong," said Cinder, chuckling.</p><p>Once again, the heroes of the revolution were united by the antics of Carswell Thorne.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. A Comprehensive Guide to Being Confused by Emperor Kaito</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Suggested by oneforever36 on Wattpad.</strong>
</p>
<p>Cinder was both the most predictable and unreadable person Kai had ever met. As much as he loved her, she would never fail to confuse him on occasion, like that time he had no idea she was the lost Lunar princess that he had developed a bit of an obsession with.</p>
<p>Oops.</p>
<p>There was no denying that she had developed a bit of a vendetta against him in the past few days, but he wasn't exactly sure <em>why. </em>He didn't think he had wronged her in any way, but still he was here, pacing in his personal office, contemplating. He couldn't come to a clear conclusion. This was almost more frustrating than when Queen Levana had proposed on occasion after occasion. He did marry her, against his better judgment.</p>
<p>Yet another mishap on Kai's part. But he needed to focus.</p>
<p>Cinder had glared at him the last meeting they went to, gesturing angrily at the floor. She hardly spoke a word to Kai at dinner for the past week and made it a point that she did <em>not </em>want to cuddle. Kai had no idea what in his right mind she could be agitated about. He was tempted to go talk to Torin about it, even.</p>
<p>Kai had relied less and less on his royal adviser since Cinder's coronation as Empress. They were a great match in many respects, but when it came to problems solving they were always each other's better half. They had their disputes (Kai couldn't help thinking of that time she kidnapped him) but neither one of them could remain irritated for long. Though, sometimes, Kai sought out the wisdom of his experienced adviser. He had been doing such more and more often.</p>
<p>Kai soon found himself seated across from Konn Torin, whining like a child who wasn't allowed any ice cream.</p>
<p>"What if she hates me? She can't hate me. I don't hate her!"</p>
<p>Torin sighed. "Have you tried talking to her?"</p>
<p>"Wait. I think it's because I've been talking to you so much lately! She must be jealous! I never thought if her as the type, but..." Kai trailed off, eyes cast to the wall beside Torin as he considered. He quickly jumped to his feet, halfway out the door. "Thank you!"</p>
<p>He was speed walking down the intricate, elaborate palace halls when he collided with something. <em>No, not something,</em> he thought. He looked at the person he had ran into and found himself face to face with a very irritated Cinder. She glanced from his eyes to his shoes and back again. She shook her head and made her way back down the hall, betrayal gleaming in her cinnamon eyes. Kai ran after her, concern playing on his features. He took her hand, and she turned to face him.</p>
<p>"What's been bothering you? I know you. You aren't the type to get upset so easily, " Kai spoke, layering his words with all the gentleness he could muster.</p>
<p>"You know perfectly well what you did! Its been happening every day!"</p>
<p>"Wait, are you jealous of all the time I've been spending with Torin as opposed to you?"</p>
<p>He waited for a beat, silence falling between the two. Then, Cinder chuckled. "What, no!"</p>
<p>Kai started. "Whatever could it be, then?"</p>
<p>"You don't tie your shoes correctly."</p>
<p>Silence fell over them in waves. "Really," She went on. "You don't double knot them and they come undone, in the most inconvenient times. Just yesterday in that meeting with President Vargas I tried to tell you but you didn't understand."</p>
<p>Realization crossed Kai's face. "That makes a lot of sense, actually."</p>
<p>Cinder smiled. "Just double knot them from now on." She stood on her toes and quickly kissed him. "Come on, we have a meeting with Queen Camila about trade agreements."</p>
<p>Kai groaned, running his fingers through his hair. "It's four already? Well, let's go get this over with."</p>
<p>They made their way down the hall, hands intertwined, and while Kai felt like a complete idiot, he had to admit that he was a very, very lucky one.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Barista (Coffee Shop AU)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Suggested by asmileyoucouldbottle on Wattpad.</strong>
</p>
<p>Kai found himself staring in front of a squat brick building without a sign on its exterior. The GPS on his phone told him that this strange space was, in fact, the highly renowned Phoenix Tower Coffee.</p>
<p>His best friend, Nainsi, had been in the hospital as well as his father, and Kai was having an incredibly hard time relaxing. His father had told him that he should go out and get some air, dismissing him from the flower-adorned room with a wave. Kai had opened his browser looking for a coffee shop in the local market square, hoping caffeine coursing through his veins would help him to persevere through the tragedy. He had quickly found a five-star rated coffee shop, owned by someone named Cinder Linh. Though small, it had gained quite a bit of traction in the past few years.</p>
<p>So here he was, son of a prestigious business owner, staring blankly at the front of a cafe. Kai was also wearing a dark gray hoodie that would probably be deemed unsuitable for the 90° F weather.</p>
<p>He was turning heads, for sure.</p>
<p>Blushing, Kai scurried past the pedestrians standing outside, clearly ignoring the "please no loitering" sign in the window. The bell chimed pleasantly as he pushed open the door, and he brushed past a few tables before reaching the counter. The bar appeared to be vacant so Kai tapped the bell once, reluctantly glancing at the "employees only" door. Within a moment, though, a light brown ponytail popped up from the counter, hobbling. She pulled a stool over to the register and plopped herself onto it.</p>
<p>"Welcome to Phoenix Tower Coffee, how may -," she paused, recognition passing over her features. Kai noticed her name tag read "Cinder." So this was the cafe's owner. She was kind of cute, Kai noted.</p>
<p>He then realized she was staring at him as he stared at her, and Kai felt his cheeks redden. He quickly averted his gaze to the red brick wall behind her head, panicking.</p>
<p>The girl - Cinder - quickly coughed, and Kai snapped his vision back to her eyes. <em>There's nothing interesting about her eyes, </em>Kai thought. <em>Eye contact is a sign of good </em><em>communication</em><em>. </em>But her eyes <em>were </em>interesting. Kai suddenly realized that she meant for him to order, and he quickly blurted, "I'llhaveamochapleasethankyoumiss." He tore his eyes off of her lovely hazel and fixed his on a particularly interesting floor tile. He heard Cinder get up and work her way to the back, slowly. The room had gone eerily quiet, and Kai could almost see the Instagram posts of him making a complete and utter fool out of himself in front of a pretty girl. His father would laugh.</p>
<p><em>His father.</em> A pain drove itself through his heart only to be interrupted by a tall girl with braids in varying shades of blue to bounce right past him, running up to the counter.</p>
<p>"I've got it, Cinder!" she shouted, shoving a package through the door to the kitchen. Kai heard a faint growl and quick words and the girl threw the box under the counter with a <em>thud.</em> She was supermodel gorgeous with flawless dark skin and accentuated curves. Her name appeared to be "Iko" from her badge.</p>
<p>Realizing he was holding up the line, Kai made his way to a nearby table. Within a few short moments, Cinder plopped a steaming mocha in front of him and he handed her his credit card. Before she left, though, she whispered, "I hope your father gets well soon. If you want I to talk about it, I can give you my number. Wait...that was really rash. I'm sorry..." she trailed off, eyes widening and making to leave. Kai grabbed her hand, quickly dropping it after realizing what he did.</p>
<p>"It's okay," he whispered back, "I'd love to talk." His cheeks went red for only the hundredth time, but he smiled. Cinder reluctantly picked up the cup and scribbled her number down before shoving it in his hands. Kai ran out the door, his face with a dopey grin.</p>
<p><em>I got a girl's number, </em>he thought. <em>Maybe today wasn't so bad.</em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Third Era Shakespeare</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Suggested by CosmicNovaFlare on Wattpad, Tumblr, and Instagram.</strong>
</p>
<p>Cinder knew Iko had been dreaming of this day for her entire life. From the first time she was powered on she had known that it was highly unlikely that she could get married herself, so she busied herself with planning Cinder and Peony's future weddings. Peony preferred the more intricate and dramatic style, but sometimes she could tone it down a bit. Sometimes. Iko struggled with calming down.</p>
<p>Iko could hardly contain her excitement when she heard that Cinder and Kai were engaged. Cinder had said that if she were plugged in, she may have blown a fuse. Iko had been dreaming up the color scheme and flower arrangements long before Cinder could legally get married. Iko was <em>very </em>prepared, and she had the full intent of not letting her countless hours of daydreaming go to waste, much to Cinder's dismay.</p>
<p>"I am <em>not </em>wearing that," Cinder had said when Iko showed her a dress covered in lace, tulle, and of course, about three tons of glitter. "It's far too expensive, anyways."</p>
<p>"But you're getting married to a royal!"</p>
<p>Cinder only smiled and turned back to her portscreen. Wedding planning took up almost all of her time, and Iko was more than happy to assist. Unfortunately, Cinder couldn't seem to catch a break. They were currently staying in New Beijing Palace so the engaged couple would be able to work more closely and effectively, but it may or may not have also been an excuse so they could see each other again. </p>
<p>Cinder turned off her portscreen with a sigh. It couldn't hurt to go see Kai for a bit. To discuss ideas and not to flirt, certainly. The subject of flirting brought Cinder back to one of Kai's recent obsessions.</p>
<p>Kai had decided to delve into the world of poetry and took that as his cue to up his flirting game.</p>
<p>It did not work.</p>
<p>In fact, Cinder had to admit that he only got worse, no doubt influenced by Thorne. It didn't come as a surprise since the only one who actually fell for Thorne's charms was Cress, but she was a hopeless romantic which gave her an excuse. </p>
<p>Cinder turned to leave and make her way down the corridor to one of the many lounges in New Beijing Palace. Despite the map displayed on her retina scanner, Cinder felt as though she could get lost in all the winding hallways. </p>
<p>Kai had left the door ajar, so Cinder slipped into the room and quietly closed the door. Kai looked up at her and smiled. "I'm a little busy, just a personal project, but you can stay!"</p>
<p>Cinder smiled and took a seat beside him. "I was looking for an escape from wedding-crazy Iko, so I think I'll take you up on that offer." </p>
<p>Cinder couldn't help but look over Kai's shoulder from where they were seated on the office's sofa. The words, "roses are red, violets are blue, there is no one as pretty as you" were written, Kai's brow furrowed in concentration as he attempted to edit his work. Cinder pressed a hand to her mouth, trying to stifle her chuckle. Kai could work wonders when it came to writing speeches, but he was a stuttering mess when he tried to express his emotions.</p>
<p>Cinder trained her eyes back to her portscreen and tried to focus on tablecloth color, but her mind wandered back to Kai's catastrophe of a pick-up line.</p>
<p>"Hey, Cinder." Kai gave her a bashful smile, and she felt as though her half-silicone heart would melt on the spot.</p>
<p>"Y-yeah?" She asked, unable to function properly because oh stars, his <em>eyes</em> were smiling, too.</p>
<p>Kai stood up and faced Cinder, and she raised an eyebrow. She knew exactly what he was doing, but she tried to play dumb nonetheless.</p>
<p>Kai cleared his throat and straightened his posture, holding his portscreen up so it obscured Cinder's view of his face. Cinder felt a smile curling it's way up her mouth at just how dorky her husband could be.</p>
<p>"Roses are red, violets are you- blue! There is no one as stunnling... stunning! as you." He croaked out. Cinder couldn't contain her laughter this time. Kai's ears turned red and buried his face in his hands. Cinder quickly sprung up from the sofa and tackled him in a hug, laughter spilling from her lips.</p>
<p>"That was <em>so bad!</em>" she said playfully, giving him a boop on the nose. </p>
<p>"I just wanted to impress you." He looked down.</p>
<p>Cinder straightened. "You stood up to the tyrannical woman that was my aunt, I'd say that's pretty impressive."</p>
<p>Kai grinned, realizing just how lucky he was to fall for the one sane member of the Blackburn family.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Crossposted from Wattpad.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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